First-aid kits generally contain items intended to be used as a means to quickly and effectively respond to accidents or injuries when away from traditional medical emergency facilities. Such kits are intended to be used either by the injured party or to aid someone else who has been injured. To be effective therefore, a first-aid kit must be lightweight, portable, accessible, and must contain the necessary equipment to treat accidents or injuries that may occur based on the situation and environment. Nowhere is this more critical then in a military or law enforcement environment, where the threat of accident or injury is often severe and access to on site medical treatment limited.
Traditionally, military personal have been provided with individual first-aid kits (IFAK) during times of military deployment. Such kits are typically housed in cloth bags or pouches and are designed to be worn on the outside of a uniform. Such IFAKs are intended to increase an individual soldiers capability to provide self-aid or buddy-aid on the battlefield. The kits typically contain first-aid equipment intended to treat sever hemorrhage and inadequate airway injuries, the two leading cause of battlefield fatalities.
Current first-aid kits are either deployed on a belt strap, back pouch, or leg strap to allow for freedom of movement and access to the contents of the pouch. This often makes it difficult for a soldier or law enforcement officer to get to the contents of the pouch, for example, when in a sitting position or inside a vehicle. Additionally, if a wounded soldier or officer needs to be dragged out of harms way, having the kit mounted on the exterior of a uniform often results in the kit being torn off and lost in the process. Furthermore, in the event of an explosion, kits located on the outside of a uniform are often blown off or destroyed due to shrapnel and are therefore of no value to the injured person or to those treating them.
Another shortfall of the current first-aid kits, is that during times of high stress and rapid combat deployment, it may be inadvertently left behind, as it is one more piece of equipment that a solider or enforcement officer must remember to attach to a uniform. Similarly, because of the lack of uniformity in placement on a user's person, it is often hard to locate or determine if a victim is in possession of a first-aid kit, as soldiers or law enforcement officer often are deployed with many types of gear in many similar types of pouches and bags. In situations where seconds may determine the chance to save a life, such confusion cannot be tolerated. Further, due to the external and bulky mounting of existing kits, they tend to get in the way of operations and inhibit the wearers ability to quickly and efficiently get into and out of confined spaces and quarters.
Finally, existing IFAKs are often disorganized and the contents are simply thrown into a bag. The contents are randomly mixed inside, requiring the entire contents to be emptied during an emergency situation so that a person administering aid can locate the item or items required under the circumstances. This does not allow the user to administer first-aid in a logical order, may lead to confusion and lost time.
Accordingly, a need exists for a first-aid kit, that will not be left behind, will not be torn or ripped off during maneuvers or damaged due to shrapnel, is light weight, uniformly deployable, presents the contents in a logical fashion and is easily accessible by both the carrier or another party. The apparatus and systems illustrated address those needs.